Method and apparatus for nesting bottles and other containers

ABSTRACT

THERE IS DISCLOSED MACHINE AND METHOD FOR PACKING CONTAINERS IN A CORBON USING AN INVERTED CARBON TYPE OF CASE PACKING MACHINE IN WHAT IS KNOWN AS A NESTED ARRANGEMENT, IN WHICH THE ARTICLES IN ONE ROW ARE OFFSET WITH RESPECT TO THE ARTICLES IN THE ADJACENT ROWS A DISTANCE OF APPROXIMATELY ONE-HALF THE DIAMETER OF THE CONTAINER THE CONTAINERS ARE CONEYED BETWEEN SIDE GUIDES, WHICH PREFERABLY OSCILLATE, OVER AN UNOBSTRUCTED OPEN ARRANGING AREA ONTO A TITABLE PLATFORM. BY ASSURING THE STAGGERING OF THE CONTAINERS IN THE FIRST TWO ROWS CROSSWISE ON THIS PLATFORM, ALL CONTAINERS THEREAFTER INDEFINETELY REPEAT THE PATTERN OF THE FIRST TWO ROWS IF THEY ARE FORCED OF CROWDED TOWARD THE PLATFORM. ALSO PROVISION IS MADE FOR INITIALLY TILTING THE PLATFORM A SHORT DISTANCE TO FACILITATE APPLICATION OF THE INVERTED CARTON OVER THE CONTAINER ON THE PLATFORM BEFORE THE PLATFORM IS TILTED UPRIGHT TO UPSET THE CARTON.

3 Sheets-Shoot l F. P. ALDUK lll/ ll Nov. 16, 1971 Filed May 14. 1969INVENTOR FRA/VK P. ALDUK afm, #94 ,m

/r/l Aller/nys Nov. 16, 1971 F. P. ALDUK 3,619,967

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR NESTING BOTTLES AND OTHER CONTAINERS Filed May14. 1969 I5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Q VIIIIIIIIIIII'IIIIIIIA /NvEn/rron FRAN/ P.ALau/r lli: Allo/nays F. P. ALDUK Nov. 16, 1971 METHOD AND APPARATUS FORNESTJING BOTTLES AND OTHER CONTAINERS 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed May 14,1969 Fr||| lha H I..

/NVE/VTI? FRANK P. ALDUK @YM W y f/ his Attorney 3,619,967 Patented Nov.16, 1971 tice U.S. Cl. 53-26 18 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Thereis disclosed a machine and method for packing containers in a cartonusing an inverted carton type of case packing machine in what is knownas a nested arrangement. in which the articles in one row are offsetwith respect to the articles in the adjacent rows a distance ofapproximately one-half the diameter of the container. The containers areconveyed between side guides, which preferably oscillate. over anunobstructed open arranging area onto a tiltable platform. By assuringthe staggering of the containers in the first two rows crosswise on thisplatform, all containers thereafter indefinitely repeat the pattern ofthe first two rows if they are forced or crowded toward the platform.Also provision is made for initially tilting the platform a shortdistance to facilitate application of the inverted carton over thecontainers on the platform before the platform is tilted upright toupset the carton.

This invention is for an improvement in the container packagingapparatus such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. 2,657,845, granted Nov. 3,1953 to R. A. Smith, and for an improvement in the method of operatingthe same.

Pat. 2,657,845 discloses a machine in which containers placed on aconveyor belt are aligned into parallel rows and pushed over a deadplate onto a platform capable of holding a case lot of the containers.When this platform is full, the operator places an empty carton downover the bottles on the platform with the box flaps folded back and theplatform tilts forward, dumping the filled carton over, so that theflaps are now at the top, where they may be closed and sealed, insteadof the carton being inverted as when the carton is placed over thebottles. A gate arrangement stops the oncoming cartons from feedingacross the dead plate when the platform is so tilted. This machine hasprimary utility with cartons having a cell structure with each containerbeing in a separate cell, out of contact with the adjacent containers.In such a carton, the cells restrain the bottles from relative movement,but the centers of the bottles are in line crosswise and lengthwise ofthe carton.

With many containers, and depending on the manner of handling andshipping, the cell-forming partitions are not necessary and a case lotcan be put in a smaller carton if the containers are nested-that is,with the containers in one row being offset half-way between thecontainers of the adjacent rows, so that with round or hexa- :gonalcontainers each container, except the marginal ones, contacts fouradjacent containers, the offset positioning of the containers in thisway interfitting the containers in one row into the areas between theconverging sides of the containers in the adjacent rows. Thisinterfitting or nesting confines the containers snugly against relativemovement in the package, so that if the cushioning function of the cellsis unnecessary, the size of the carton required to hold a case lot isreduced and the package is less expensive and there is less lost weightin a truck load.

So far as I am aware, no practical simple machine heretofore has beenprovided for effecting the nest packing of containers in a carton, andthe prevailing practice is to load the Icontainers into the carton byhand to nest them.

I have discovered that with very little modification, the case packershown in Pat. 2,657,845 can be used for nest packing of containers incartons.

Generally my invention eliminates all dividers from over the conveyor sothat the bottles are not confined into lanes, as is necessary with themachine of said patent, but there is simply a corridor into which thebottles or other containers move toward the discharge end of themachine, of a width corresponding substantially to one interiordimension of the carton in which the containers are to be placed, andwhich constitutes an arranging area. The platform area onto which thecontainers are moved is likewise free of any partitions, and it, too, isof a width corresponding to an interior dimension of the carton.Assuming the carton to be rectangular, the platform generally has awidth equal to the interior length of the carton, and its dimension inthe direction of travel of the containers is about equal to the interiorwidth of the carton. Those dimensions in turn are determined by thediameter of the containers and the number of rows of containers to beplaced in a carton. There is of course a stop along the outer end of theplatform to limit the forward travel of the cartons.

I have discovered that under these conditions, round containers such asbottles, or polygonal containers having six or more panels (or, as inthe case of nursing bottles, circular bottles fitted into cylindricalcardboard sleeves), will automatically and continuously, for anindefinite time, arrange themselves in nested rows of the same number ineach row, if the first two rows on the platform crosswise of thedirection of travel of the container are first set up, either by hand orautomatically, across the width of the platform along the end stop. Whena case load of bottles or other containers has been formed on theplatform, an inverted carton is set over them, a gate moves intoposition to block the oncoming bottles, and the platform is tilted toturn the carton upright as disclosed in Pat. 2,657,845. While theplatform is tilted, oncoming containers crowding against those in frontform in the staggered rows indefinitely, so that when the tiltableplatform returns to container-receiving position, another case Iloadwill push forward without disturbing the staggered row pattern onto theplatform.

Also, either with nest packing or with packing containers that arearranged in rows crosswise and lengthwise as in said patent, diliicultymay be encountered in placing the inverted cartons over containers whichhave no neck at all, as for example cosmetic jars and baby food jars, orcontainers which have only a short neck and relatively straight sidewalls. This is especially so when the tilting platform is fiat insteadof convexed as shown in said patent. The present invention provides animprovement wherein the tilting platform is first initially tilted onlya slight distance so that the inverted carton may be slipped at leastpartially over the group of containers on the platform without the edgeof the carton encountering the sides of the oncoming containers on thedead plate.

The invention may be more fully understood by reference to theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. l is a longitudinal vertical section of a machine for practicingthe invention, only the discharge end of the machine important to thepresent disclosure being shown, with some of the forward part of themachine being shown in broken lines;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing the manner in which aninverted carton is placed over a load of containers;

FIG. 3A is a fragmentary view similar to FIG. 3, but showing the mannerin which the filled cartons are turned over and discharged;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a carton showing the arrangement of nestedcontainers therein;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary vertical longitudinal section in the plane ofline V-V of FIG. 2, showing a modified construction; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary plan View with parts broken away to showadjustment details.

The machine itself is basically similar to that shown in Pat. 2,657,845,in that there is a supporting frame structure 2 on upright legs 3.Mounted in the frame structure is a power-driven conveyor belt,preferably in the form of a link chain belt 4, that passes around apowerdriven roller 5 at the discharge end of the machine. The top reachof the belt is supported over a flat table 6 that prevents the belt fromsagging. A variable speed drive is indicated at 7 (shown only in FIG. l)which is connected with the roller 5 through a sprocket drive chain 8.At the discharge end of the conveyor there is a dead plate 9 that isflush with the top surface of the upper reach of the conveyor. In frontof this dead plate there is a vertically-movable gate 10 that isoperated through a uid pressure cylinder and piston unit 11 to move froma retracted position where it is flush with the dead plate, to a raisedposition where it will obstruct the movement of the containers from thedead plate. Rearwardly of the gate 10 there is a platform 12, thesurface of which is smooth, and which is mounted on a rock shaft 13 sothat it may be rocked from a horizontal position to a substantiallyvertical position by means of a second uid and piston unit 14 and link15 substantially as disclosed in Pat. No. 2,657,845. The machine hereshown, however, is a modification of the structure shown in said patentto the extent that the gate and its operating mechanism and the tiltingplatform and its operating mechanism cornprise a removable unit whereinthe side plates 12 that support these parts are removably bolted to themain frame of the machine, as disclosed in my application Ser, No. 796,-092, filed Feb. 3, 1969. However, the present invention is adapted toeither the construction shown in Pat. 2,657,- 845, or as disclosed insaid application.

Unlike the machine shown in Pat. No. 2,657,845, there are no dividerplates over the discharge end of the conveyor for arranging the bottlesor other containers into parallel lanes or rows. There are only sideplates or guides 16 which may be oscillated by an arrangement similar tothat shown in the aforesaid patent, wherein there is an overhead bar 17with dependent rods 18 that are connected to the forward ends of theside guide 16 while the rear ends are on vertical pins or pivots 19 (seeFIG. 1), so that these side guides can be oscillated through a limitedarc crosswise of the conveyor belt 4. This operation is effected by amotor and eccentric similar to that shown in the aforesaid patent.

It will be seen, therefore, that there is an open free assembly areabetween the side guides 16 on the conveyor belt, forwardly of the gate,and that there are no laneforming guides on the dead plate, the surfaceof which is also smooth, and as stated above, there are no guides on theplatform 12. The platform, however, does have an end stop bar 20 andside guide plates 21 of less height than the height of the containers.Assuming, for purposes of illustration only, that the carton isrectangular and is designed to hold twenty-four containers arranged infour rows of six containers each, the distance from the stop 20 to thegate 10, or forward boundary of the platform 12, is just about theinterior dimension of the carton into which the containers are to beplaced, and the distance between the side guides 21 is the length of theinterior dimension of the carton, this being in the example here assumedto be approximately the length of 61A; times the diameter of one of thecontainers. In other words, the distance between the side guides on theplatform is `a multiple of the diameter of the containers plus about 1/2that diameter. In the other direction the distance from the stop 20 tothe gate is such that a plurality of nested rows of containers will fillthe platform, with the row nearest the dead plate projecting slightlybeyond the edge of the platform. For a given nurnber of staggered rowsthis distance will be less than if the bottles are centered one againstanother, as in said Pat. No. 2,637,845.

In operating the machine to nest the containers so that the containersin each succeeding row are offset one-half diameter from the containersin the adjacent rows, the first two rows of containers must be set up onthe platform 12 in this pattern as indicated in full lines in FIG. 2 ofthe drawings. This is accomplished by hand placing the bottles in theevent the cartons are supplied with a corner filler at one corner or twodiagonally-opposite corners, or it may be accomplished automatically ifa block of `some kind is either temporarily or permanently placed in theopen corner with the end of the first row as indicated at 12a in FIG. 2.When the cartons have no corner filler or llers, so that it makes nodifference where the empty corners occur, the pressure of the oncomingbottles or other containers will cause the first two rows and allsucceedingl rows to self-arrange themselves in the staggeredarrangement. If the carton is supplied with a filler in the cornercorresponding to position 12a in FIG. 2, the operator must then be surethat the first row will leave this particular corner open. With thesetting up of the rst two rows, containers which are being fed forwardand pushed or crowded onto the platform will automatically repeat thepattern of the first two rows for an indefinite period of time. Usuallythe containers accumulate on the dead plate and on the discharge end ofthe conveyor belt, falling into this pattern for some distance back,depending on how fast the containers accumulate in respect to the rateat which they are removed. In the example above assumed, after tiltingplate 12 has been filled with four rows, with the second and fourth rowsstaggered in reference to the rst and third rows, the operator places acarton in inverted position over the assembled containers on the plate12 and pushes it down as shown in FIG. 3. Then by operating thecylinders 11 and 14 in the manner described in Pat. No. 2,657,845, thegate 10 will raise between the first row of containers on the dead plateand the containers on the platform 12, and at the same time the platform12 will tilt to a nearly vertical position as shown in FIG. 3A, turningthe carton over so that the carton aps which were opened out and foldedback when the inverted carton was rst pushed down over the plate 12, arenow at the top, while the containers themselves are inverted inside thecarton, but of course are firmly held in the nested position by thewalls of the carton. Since the platform 12 is pivoted near its center,the arc described by its end is of short radius. In the drawings, thecontainers have been designated C, and the carton or box has beendesignated B. FIG. 4 shows how the nested packages of containers appear.

After the tirst carton of containers has been removed, the platform 12will return to its horizontal position and the gate 10 will lower. Thepressure of the oncoming bottles by reason of the continuous travel ofthe conveyor belt will urge those bottles which are then accumulated onthe dead plate and forwardly on the conveyor itself, into position onthe platform 12, and the bottles will advance in the staggered rows intowhich they had formed to maintain the pattern of the two rows which wereinitially formed.

It is desirable to so operate the machine that there will always be morethan a case load of bottles or other containers forwardly of the gate l0so that it will be unnecessary for the operator to wait for a case loadto build up b y the addition of containers one at a time on the plate12. In fact if there are not at least two rows of bottles on the deadplate at the time the gate lowers, following the removal of the firstload, the pattern will be lost, and it would be necessary for theoperator to reset the first two rows to reform the nested pattern.However, as long as there are two or more rows always present forwardlyof the gate 10, the pattern will automatically repeat. For this tooccur, of course, the assembly area of the conveyor as well as the deadplate must be free of any obstructions which would prevent the bottlesor other containers from moving about and adjusting themselves intoposition as the conveyor crowds them against the containers ahead whichhave already formed in nested position.

Usually the feed of bottles to the machine is so fast that aconsiderable number of staggered rows builds up in the arranging area ofthe belt, and it has been found that the bottles fall more readily intoa nested pattern and with less rubbing of the bottles or othercontainers one against the other by oscillating the side guides 16 thanif the side guides 16 were stationary, but it is not necessary thatthese side guides oscillate. It is necessary, however, that they providea corridor of the width equal to the width between the side guides 21 onthe tilting table 12.

While bottles are mentioned specifically, the invention has beensuccessfully used with jars such as baby food jars, and pressure spraycans and other metal or plastic containers and with nursing bottleswhich are each packed with a hexagonal cardboard sleeve around each ofthem before they are delivered to the conveyor belt 4, and the inventionhas been successfully used with polygonal shaped bottles such as ketchupbottles which have more than four panels. It is, however, necessary thatthe containers be circular or multi-sided with more than five sides inorder for the nesting to automatically take place.

With bottles, such as soft drink bottles, the arrangement is entirelysatisfactory since the small diameters and extended lengths of thebottles provides adequate clearance between the bottles on the tiltingplatform and those on the dead plate for the inverted carton to bepushed down over the case load f bottles on the platform for a goodportion of the bottle height. However, with bottles having an almostsquare shoulder below the neck, with jars, such as cosmetic cream jars,baby food jars, serum containers, restaurant type creamers, and spraycans and similar containers having little or no extended neck, it ismore difficult to push the inverted carton over the group of containerson the platform, since the last row on the platform contacts theoncoming row on the dead plate, forming a zig-zag plane of separationthat prevents the straight side of the carton from being pushed downbetween them. This may be better appreciated by reference to FIG. 2where it will be seen that because of the nesting of the containers inone row between those of another,

there is no straight line of separation between the containers on thedead plate and those on the tiltable platform.

Where containers so shaped as to make the application of the invertedcarton to the pack arranged on the tilting platform, including packingcontainers of this shape where they are not nested, but are in rows bothlengthwise and crosswise as in Pat. 2,657,845, the arrangement shown inFIGS. 5 and 6 is preferable, and may be applied to all machines as shownin the preceding figures where the machine is to be used for this typeof container or where a wide range of articles are to be packed.

In FIGS. 5 and 6 the structure is much the same as that shown in FIG. l,except that there is a third fiuid pressure cylinder set verticallyunder the tilting platform 12 between the shaft 13 and the gate 10. Thiscylinder is set on a cross bar 26 which is supported at its ends on theside plates 112. The cross bar 26 is provided at its ends with threadedstuds that project through slots in the side plates 12 (see FIG. 5) andnuts on the ends of these studs clamp the side bar at the elevation towhich it is adjusted, so that the cylinder 25 may be raised or loweredto change its effective stroke, since, at the lowermost position, therewill be lost motion between the piston and the tilting plate. Thecylinder has a piston, with the piston rod 29 having a terminal thatcontacts the under side of the tilting platform. When air under pressureis admitted to the cylinder 25 it will give the platform an initial tiltto raise the container on the platform above the level of the containerson the dead plate, as shown in FIG. 5, so that an inverted carton can beeasily set down at least part-way over the containers on the platformafter which cylinder 14 rocks the platform to a vertical or nearvertical position, as previously explained. The diameter of the cylinder25 and its piston is slightly greater than the diameter of the cylinder14 and its piston, so that with the same air pressure, piston rod 29will over corne the yielding pressure in cylinder 14 that holds theplatform against tilting, but because of this resistance, the initialtilting by cylinder 25 will be gradual and not so sudden as to disturbthe containers on the platform.

It is desirable that the cylinder 25 be set to raise very smallcontainers less than tall ones, and for this reason it is desirable toadjust the height of the cylinder 25 without changing the length of itsstroke. The further it is lowered, the greater will be the lost travelbefore it contacts the tilting plate to raise it.

The pneumatic system is much the same as disclosed in Pat. 2,657,845, inthat air from a regulator 50 flows through tube 51 and branch line 52 toa four-way valve '53. When switch 54 at one side of the frame of themachine is pressed, Valve S3 admits air through tube 55 to the bottom ofcylinder 25 to raise the piston and effect the initial tilt of thetilting platform and hold it at this angle. The operator then places theinverted carton over the containers on the platform and operates switchS6. This operates four-way rvalve 57, to which air is supplied throughline 51, to admit air through tube 58 to the top of cylinder \14 toretract its piston and tilt the platform to the near vertical position.It also admits air through branch. tube 519 to the bottom of cylinder 11to raise the gate 10. The switches '54 and 56 and the two switches at 60may be either electric or pneumatic, as is well under stood in the art,pneumatic switches being here indicated. When the platform reaches thisposition it operates the dual switches at 60. The upper of these twoswitches operates valve 53 to admit air through` line 61 to the top ofcylinder 25 to retract its piston, and the lower one operates valve 57to admit air through line 62 to the lower end of cylinder 14 to returnthe tilting platform to containerreceiving position.

The same result could be achieved by operating cylinder 14 in two steps,but since this cylinder, as shown, operates quite rapidly and specialvalving would be required, the arrangement here shown is preferred.

Also, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the rear face of the gate 10 has a pairof rearwardly-projecting fianged arms 30 attached thereto, one near eachend of the gate. Each plate 30 is slidably fitted in a vertical guidechannel formed by blocks 32 secured to the adjacent fixed side plates ofthe machine. These blocks are here shown as being adjustable in afore-and-aft direction by studs 33 extending through slots in the sideplate, with clamping nuts 34.

It will be seen that in FIG. 5 the cylinder and piston unit 11 is set ona cross piece 36. Bolts 37 with clamping nuts pass through end portions38 of this bar and through horizontal slots 39 in the side plates 12 sothat as the gate is adjusted horizontally toward or away from the deadplate, the cylinder 11 may be correspondingly adjusted to assure propervertical alignment.

It will be noted that the edge of the tilting plate 12 projects over thegate |10, so that the gate 10 can only rise as the plate 12 tilts up,and that the downward or return tilting motion of the tilting platformforces the gate down. Large diameter containers of course nest togethera greater distance than small ones, so that when the platform lifts,larger containers will project further beyond the edge of the dead plate9 than small ones. With larger diameter containers the adjustment heredescribed enables the plane of vertical movement of the gate to be movedfurther out from the edge of the dead plate to clear the overhang of therow of containers on the dead plate. For small diameter containers, thegate is adjusted closer to the dead plate. The tilting platform 12 ashere shown has the permanent bottom plate as shown, and aninterchangeable top plate 12b. The top plate 12b for one size ofcontainers will ordinarily be different for containers of another size,since their cartons are of a different size and the gap between the edgeof the dead plate and the confronting edge of the plate 12b is selectedso that said confronting edge will never extend toward the dead platepast the plane of vertical travel of the gate, so that when the plateswings down to the horizontal position it will not contact thecontainers on the dead plate. The arrangement of the guide 32 with theprojecting iianges 30 has an added advantage where the nest packer unitis detachable from the main frame of the machine, in that it will keepthe dead plate in vertical position when the unit is detached and setaside for the substitution of a different type of case packer, asexplained in said application Ser. No. 796,092.

lt will be understood that the invention will operate with containers ofvery small diameters, or with containers of relatively large diameters,but in all cases the dimensions of the group which is arranged on theplatform 12 must conform substantially to the inside dimensions of thecarton into which the containers are to be placed. This dimension, asstated above, is a multiple of the diameter of the containers in onecrosswise row plus about one-half diameter, and the width in the otherdirection is any convenient number of staggered rows. Also othergenerally cylindrical articles, such as spools of thread or bushings orother manufactured articles may be packaged in the same way, and theterm container as here used comprehends pieces or units of circular ofpolysided section with more than five sides.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for the nested packing of containers in cartons comprising:

(a) a power-driven conveyor with a discharge end for carrying thecontainers to be placed in the carton forward and crowding them off saiddischarge end,

(b) a tiltable platform at the end of the conveyor onto which thecontainers are pushed by the conveyor, said platform having an end wallthereacross at the end remote from the conveyor to limit the number ofcontainers that may be received on the platform at one time, and movablefrom a generally horizontal container-receiving position to asteeply-inclined discharge position,

(c) means for tilting the platform from a horizontal plane to asteeply-inclined position and returning it to a generally horizontalposition,

(d) side guides along each side of the conveyor,

(e) side guides on the tilting platform in line with the side guides onthe conveyor, and

(f) gate means between the conveyor and the platform arranged torestrain the containers against movement when the platform is beingtilted and permit their movement onto the platform when the platform ishorizontal,

the area of the conveyor between the side guides being free of anyobstruction that limits the lateral movement of the containers as theycrowd together in advance of the gate means, and the platform betweenits side guides also being free of any obstruction, the distance betweenthe side guides of the conveyor and the side guides on the platformbeing a multiple of the diameter of the containers plus one-half thatdiameter and the distance between the said end wall and the gate beingsufficient to 8 accept a plurality of rows of nested containersthereacross.

2. Apparatus for the nested packing of containers in cartons as definedin claim 1 in which there is also a smooth dead plate between theconveyor and the tilting platform, the dead plate having side guidesthat are aligned with the side guides along the conveyor and on theplatform and the area of the dead plate between the side guides issmooth and unobstructed, the gate means being interposed between thedead plate and the tilting platform.

3. Apparatus for the nested packing of containers and cartons as definedin claim 1 wherein the side guides along the conveyor are pivoted at theends nearest the platform on vertical pivots, and means for oscillatingthe side guides on their said pivots.

4. The combination with an upside-down case packer of the type having anendless conveyor along which containers are moved from a receiving endto a discharge end with a rearwardly-tiltable platform at the dischargeend of the conveyor arranged to accept and retain a predetermined numberof containers arranged in transverse rows thereon whereby the platformmay be raised so that an inverted open top carton may be placed over thecontainers on the platform after which the platform is tilted to asubstantially vertical position to discharge the Carton and turn it overwith the containers, then inverted, therein, the case packer having agate movable vertically between the end of the conveyor and the tiltableplatform from a lower position out of the path of travel of thecontainers from the conveyor onto the platform to a raised positionacross the path of travel of the containers off of the conveyor of (a)means for initially raising and halting the edge of the platform abovethe level of the conveyor to provide clearance for placing the cartonbetween the containers on the platform and those at the discharge end ofthe conveyor and for thereafter tilting the platform to a substantiallyvertical position.

5. The combination defined in claim 4 wherein the gate is adjustabletransversely of its direction of travel.

6. The combination defined in claim 4 wherein there is a dead platebetween the conveyor belt and the platform and the gate is movable in avertical plane between the dead plate and the tiltable platform, andmeans for adjustably positioning the gate toward and away from the deadplate.

7. Apparatus for the nested packing of containers as defined in claim 1in which there is a smooth surface dead plate without dividers betweenthe conveyor and the tilting platform, the dead plate having side guidesthat are aligned with the side guides along the conveyor and on thetilting platform, the gate means being movable in a vertical planebetween the dead plate and the tilting platform, and means for adjustingthe gate means and its plane of movement toward or away from the deadplate.

8. Apparatus for the nested packing of containers as defined in claim 1in which there is a smooth surface dead plate without dividers betweenthe conveyor and the tilting platform, the dead plate having side guidesthat are aligned with the side guides along the conveyor and on thetilting platform, the gate means comprising a flat platelike membermovable in a vertical plane between. the dead plate and the tiltingplatform, the apparatus having spaced side plates between which thetilting platform is positioned and supported, vertical guide elements onthe side plates, and means projecting from that surface of the gateremote from the dead plate engaged in said guide elements for guidingthe gate as it is moved vertically.

9. Apparatus for the nest packing of containers as defined in claim 8wherein the plane of movement of the gate may be adjusted toward andaway from the dead plate.

l0. Apparatus for the nest packing of containers as defined in claim 1in which means is provided for initially tilting the platform to partlyraise the containers on the platform above the level of those on theconveyor and thereafter tilt it to the steeply-inclined position.

11. Apparatus for the nested packing of containers as defined in claim 1in which there is a smooth surface dead plate without dividers betweenthe conveyor and the tilting platform, the dead plate having side guidesthat are aligned with the side guides along the conveyor and on thetilting platform, the tilting platform being supported for tiltingmovement about an axis near the end of the platform remote from thegate, and means positioned between the gate means and the axis ofrotation for the tilting plate for initially tilting the plate to aslight angle from its horizontal position before Said means for tiltingit to a steep angle is operated.

12. Apparatus for the nest packing of containers as defined in claim 1wherein said means for tilting the platform to a steeply-inclinedposition and returning it comprises a fluid pressure cylinder and pistonunit, and a second fluid pressure cylinder and piston unit arranged toinitially tilt the platform a slight distance from its generallyhorizontal position before said first cylinder operates to tilt theplatform to the steeply-inclined position.

13. Apparatus for the nest packing of containers as defined in claim 12in which said second cylinder is adjustably supported to adjust theangle to which it initially tilts said platform.

14. Apparatus for the nest packing of containers as defined in claim 12in which said rst cylinder is normally under pressure to hold theplatform in the generally horizontal position when containers arereceived on the platform and said second cylinder and piston unit is oflarger diameter than the first whereby the first yieldingly resists theoperation of the second when both are operated by air under the samepressure.

15. The method of effecting the nested packing of containers of circularsection and multi-sided containers having more than five sides incartons, which comprises:

(a) initially setting up two rows of containers on a receiving platformarea between side guides spaced from each other a distance equal to amultiple of the diameter of the containers at the level of maximundiameter plus about one-half such diameter with the containers in thesecond row offset one-ehalf diameter from those in the first row,

(b) thereafter crowding other similar containers onto the platform areaagainst the first two rows until the platform is full, whereby thecontainers so crowded onto the platform area repeat the formation ofcontainers in the first two rows,

(c) continuing to crowd heterogeneously positioned containers into anarranging corridor between two side guides aligned with the first-namedside guides in advance of and level with the platform area with theleading containers in the corridor pressed against those on the platformarea whereby the pattern arrangement of the rst two rows repeats itselfin the arranging corridor,

(d) placing an inverted carton over a group of containers on thereceiving platform, the interior length of which carton is about equalto the distance between the platform side guides and the interior widthof which is just sufficient to span a selected number of rows of nestedcontainers on the receiving platform area,

(e) removing the containers confined within the inverted carton from theplatform area and turning the carton upright by tilting the platformrearwardly from a substantially horizontal position to a substantiallyvertical position in which the platform is first tilted upwardly throughan arc sufiicient to provide clearance between the containers on theplatform and the containers in advance of the platform, after which theinverted carton is placed over the containers on the platform, andthereafter completing the tilting of the platform to a verticalposition, and

(f) advancing the prearranged container from the corridor onto platformarea sufiiciently to fill a succeeding carton, and thereafter repeatingthe operation so long as there are containers in the arranging corridor,with the pattern initially established in said first two rowsautomatically repeating as the containers are crowded into rows in thearranging corridor.

16. The method defined in claim 15, wherein a gate is interposed betweenthe receiving platform and the arranging corridor when the platform areais tilted.

17. The method defined in claim 15, wherein the vertically tilted cartonis completely turned over as it leaves the platform to thereby removethe carton with the containers.

18. The combination with an upside-down case packer of the type havingan endless conveyor along which containers are moved from a receivingend to a discharge end with a rearwardly-tiltable platform at thedischarge end of the conveyor arranged to accept and retain apredetermined number of containers arranged in transverse rows thereonwhereby an inverted open top carton may be placed over the containers onthe platform after which the platform is tilted to a substantiallyvertical position to discharge the carton and turn it over with thecontainers, then inverted, wherein the platform is carried on atransversely-extending rock shaft and there is a fluid pressure cylinderand piston unit operatively connected with the rock shaft to effect thetilting movement thereof between its container-receiving position and asubstantially vertical position, the case packer having a gate movablevertically between the end of the conveyor and the tiltable platform,from a lower position out of the path of travel of the containers fromthe conveyor onto the platform, to a raised position across the path oftravel of the containers off the conveyor, and including means forinitially raising the edge of the platform above the level of theconveyor to provide clearance between the containers on the platform andthose at the discharge end of the conveyor and for thereafter tiltingthe platform to a substantially vertical position wherein a second fluidpressure cylinder effects said intial raising of the platform.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,535,880 12/1950 Tomkins 53-262,746,226 5/ 1956 Donald et al 53-392 X TRAVIS S. MCGEHEE, PrimaryExaminer E. F. DESMOND, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 53-159, 243,392

